Whether for your own enjoyment or for giving as gifts – these little miniature cakes and tartlets are sure to captivate everyone! Not only do these delightful, little sweet cakes look enticing but they taste just as good as their larger counterparts.
This book contains 27 ingenious recipes for creating a range of delicious mini cakes – from simple sponge varieties to rich cream-filled bites and brightly decorated theme cakes.
© Naumann & Göbel Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
A subsidiary of VEMAG Verlags- und Medien Aktiengesellschaft
Emil-Hoffmann-Straße 1, 50996 Cologne (Germany)
www.vemag-medien.de
Recipes: Annerose Sieck
Translation from German: First Edition Translations Ltd
Photos: TLC Fotostudio
Production: Naumann & Göbel Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-3-8155-8791-1
Notes
Abbreviations
cm = centimetre
g = gram
kg = kilogram
l = litre
ml = millilitre
tbsp = tablespoon
tsp = teaspoon
Ø = diameter
Oven temperatures
The oven temperatures given in these recipes apply to conventional, top- and bottom-heated electric ovens. If using a fan oven, reduce the temperature by 20 °C.
Unless otherwise stated, the cakes should be baked on the middle shelf.
Recipes
The recipe quantities given are enough to make one mini cake.
Sweet-talking delights
Cake rings – perfect mini cakes every time
Cake decorating – creative designs
Delicious toppings – glazing and icing
Creative coatings – using fondant icing
Recipe section
Buttercream cake
Amarettini cheesecake
Mini carrot cake
Confetti cake
Chocolate gateau
Egg liqueur cake
Strawberry cake
Creamy cheesecake
Gooseberry cake
Marble cake
Yoghurt cake
Chocolate cake
Marzipan cake
Mint tower
Jelly cake
Black Forest cake
Apple sauce cake
Popcorn cake
Birthday cake
Lucky charm cake
New baby cake
Wedding cake
Mother’s Day cake
First-day-at-school cake
Easter cake
Halloween cake
Christmas cake
Whether intended as a treat for your own taste buds or as a thoughtful gift for someone else – very few people will be able to resist the charm of these adorable little cakes and tartlets! As well as being beautifully decorated, these cute little cakes and tarts are also delicious on the inside. Whether made from soft sponge or richly filled with cream, these popular treats taste just as good as their larger counterparts! And for those extra special occasions, they can be covered with coloured, ready-to-roll fondant icing and lavishly decorated to reflect a particular theme.
All the cakes featured in this book are made using the set of cake rings included. The rings can be used both as a template for cutting out the sponge bases and also as a container for holding the filling in place while it sets (cf. section entitled “It’s the filling that makes the cake”). The ingredients given for each recipe are enough to make one mini cake.
Any bits of sponge leftover after the cake bases have been cut out are ideal for using up as cake decorations. Simply crumble the sponge in a bowl, add a little soft cream cheese, icing sugar or raw marzipan, then knead the ingredients together into a soft mass. Roll a spoonful at a time into a ball, refrigerate for one hour, then skewer each ball onto the end of a lollipop stick and decorate as desired – the resulting treats are called cake pops, the latest culinary stars to take the baking world by storm (cf. p. 16)! For an easier option, you could simply tear up any leftover sponge into tiny pieces and sprinkle over the surface of the cake. Alternatively, cut it into strips or curl into spirals. All these are excellent ways to use up any leftover sponge.
The easiest way to divide the cake base in half is to slice it through the middle using a serrated knife. First, allow the sponge base to cool completely. Then, using a small sharp knife, cut around the middle of the outside edge of the cake to a depth of about 1 cm. Next, using a serrated knife, follow this cut as a guide to slice horizontally through the middle, rotating the cake at the same time. If the cake’s filling is “runny” and needs time to set, fit the bottom half of the cake into a cake ring, pour in the filling and place the other half of the cake on top. When the filling has set, the ring can be carefully removed and the cake decorated.
To hold two or more layers of cake together, secure in place using a cocktail stick; a glaze of apricot jam between the layers will also help them stick together.
